Signaling system



Nov. 27, 1923. l 1,475,594

G. A. PIERC SIGNALING SYSTEM Filed Oct. 31 1919 2 Shets-Sheet 1 STATION N042. ljfil STATION No.5.

48 4,9 4 5 l Y@ @m f 7@ ,47 -6/ oi@ f #L lf .4/5 66 lINVENTOR George Pierce fl ATTORNEY Nov. 27, 1923. 1,475,594

G. A. PIERCE SIGNALING SYSTEM Filed Oct. 31 1919 2 Sheets-Shea?,A 2

INVENTOR @soms A. PIERCE BYWLm//Ml l/'S ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 27, 1923.

UNITED STATES GEORG-E PIERCE, OF PHILABELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SIGNALING svsrrnir.Y

Application led October 3l, 1919.

To all whom t 72mg/ concern Be it known that I.y Grenen A. PIERCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of ljhiladelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and. useful Improvements in Signaling Systems, of which the following is a full, clear, and concise description.

My invention relates to signaling systems, and more especially to such annunciator systems as employ a number of manually operated circuit closers, such as push-buttons or keys, andanumber of indicators, all of these parts being so arranged that an operator at any station may readily transmit a signal to any other station of the system.

In annunciator systems of the kind just mentioned it is rather diiiicult to avoid complication in wiring, owing to the number and diversity of the electrical functions to...

be performed. If too many wires are used the system becomes troublesome and expensive. If only a few wires are used it usually happens that each wire must perform more than a single function and it becomes a difiicult matter to keep these functions distinct.

One great difficulty with many of the systems heretofore in use is in preventing a given signal, intended for a particular station only, from producing undesirable effects at other stations. A very common instance is that a signal intended to actuate an indicator at one station will in doing so actuate also an indicator at some other station.

In some instances use has been made of intercommunicating signalingV circuits, in

which the distribution of the currents usedk for signaling is localized by apportioning the resistance of different portions of the circuits. In practice, however, it has been found difficult to properly localize the action of the currents in this manner, owing to the fact that it calls for great reiinement in apportioning the resistance of different portions of the circuit. The result has been, therefore, that undesirable currents would manage to find their way into portions of the wiring where they did not belong, the net result being false signals and unnecessary waste of power. The currents thus undesirably straying off into circuits and parts of circuits to which they do not belong have more or less of a vagrant character and are popularly known as sneak currents,y An

Serial No. 334,663.

important feature of my invention is to prevent these currents. This I do by so arrangingthe wiring as to close positively every path through which the energizing currents can pass, except the particular portions of the wiring intended to be energized.

In carrying out this idea, I find it 'convenient to employ, at each station, a plurality of relays, each having the function of an indicator, each relay being controllable from a particular station with which it is associat ed, each station having a bell or other audible signal located in and controllable by a local circuit common to all of the relays in the group at the station where this bell is located. By this arrangement, at any particular station, one of the relays serving as an indicator can perform its function and the bell or other audible signal at that station can be energized, without the possibility of aecting any other relay, either at that station or at any other station.

Reference is made to the accompanying` drawing forming a part of this specification and in which reference numerals indicate like parts throughout all of the figures.

Figure l is a diagram showing my system as used with three intercommunicating stations.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary diagram showing different connections for the local circuit than those opposing in TEigure l.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary diagram showing the connections for the local circuit as different from those appearing in the other figures.

I will first describe the structureand operation of the mechanism shown in Figure i.

The stations, three in number', are des ignated respectively as, station No. l, station No. 2, and f station No. 3, and, generally speaking, the mechanisms used at the respective stations are substantially alike, so that only one need be described in detail.

Located at each station is a bell 4 and two indicator magnets 5, 6, provided with armatures 7, 8, having the form of' hooks and sustaining contact bars 9, 10, in such manner as to readily drop these bars when energized for this purpose. yEach station is further provided with a circuit closer ll, having the form of a key' 'or push-button and provided with contact members l2 and 13. Each station is also provided; with another circuit closer 14, similar to the one just described, and having` contact members 15 and The contact bar 9 is essentiallj7 a shutter anc is provided with a legend 1, 2, or 8, as the case may be. which is for the purpose or". indicating the particular station from Which it is controlled. BelouT the contact bar 9 are two contact butt-ons 17 and 18, through which a circuit is closed bv the dropping` ot the contact bar. The contact bar 1() is similar in construction and action to the coniiact bar 9, With the exception that any particular station the Contact bar 16 bears a different legend from that borne by the contact bar 9, as the two contact bars just mentioned are controlled from different stations. Below the contact bar 10 are tivo contact buttons 19, 26, through which a circuit closed Whenever the contact bar drops.

Feed Wires are shown at 21, 22. ant. are used ttor supplying); electric current to the system. Connecter. with the teed vire is a Wire 23, and connected With this Wire is a wire 24 leading to station No. 1. and then connected to the contact member 16. l? rom the contact member 16 a Wire 23 leads to the contact member13. A wire 26 connected to the contact member and leads therefrom to the magnet 6 et this same station. A Wire 27 is connected to the Contact member 12 and is connected to the magnet 5. A Wire 28 is connected with the ieed vrire.21 and is also connected with a Wire 29 which leads to the magnet- 6. A Wire 8O is connected to the Wires 28 and 29, and is also connected to a Wire 31 leading to the magnet 5. A Wire 82 is connected to the Wires 8O and 31 and also to the bell 4i. Connected with this bell is a Wire 33 which is also connected to a Wire 84, leading;` to the contact member 20. A wire is connected with the Wires 88 and 84.-, and leads therefrom to the Contact button 18. A Wire 36 is connected With the contact button 17 and with a Wire 87, the latter being' connected with the contact button 19. A ivire 38 is con nected with the Wires 36 and 87 and also With the Wires andl A Wire leads Yfrom the circuit closer 11 to station No. 2 and is there connected the circuit closer 11 of that station. A Wire 410 leads from the circuit closer 14 at station No. 1 to the circuit closer 14- at station No. 2. Connected with the feed Wire 22 and with the Wire 28 is a Wire 411, and connected with the Wire last mentioned is a Wire 12 leading' to station No. 2. Connected with this Wire t2 is a Wire leading to the. contact button 19 at station No. 2. Connected to the Wires 4t2 and 13 is a Wire 44- Which leads to the contact button 17 at this station. The adjacent contact button 18 is connected to a ivire 15. and connected to the Wire 41:5 is a Wire 46 leading to the contact button 20. The Wires` i5 and 16 are connected to a Wire .t7 which leads to the bell L1 of this station. From this bell a Wire i8 leads to a Wire 19 which connected to the magnet 5. A Wire 50 is connected to the Wires 18 and L19 and is also connected to the Wire 51, the latter leadingr to the magnet 6 at this station. A Wire 52 leads 4from this magnet to the contact member 15 at this station. The adjacent Contact member 16 is connected to a Wire 53, this Wire being connected to a Wire 511 which leads to the adjacent Contact member 18. From the contact member 12.I a Wire 55 leads to the magnet 5. The wire 56 is connected to the circuit closer 1% of this station, and leads; therefrom t@ station No. 3, Where it is connected with the circuit closer 11. (lonnected Yith the Wires 50 and 51 at station Flo. 2 is a Wire 57. rThis Wire is connected 'to a Wire 58, the latter leading` to the feed Wire 21 and also to the Wire 28. Connected with the Wires 57 and 58 is a Wire 59 leading to station No. 3 and there connected With a ivire 60 which leads to the magnet 6 ot that station. A Wire 61 is connected to the wires 59 and 66 and also to a Wire 62, the latter leading),` to the magnet 5. A Wire 63 is connected ivith the Wires 61 and 62. and leads theretrom to the bell 4 of station No. 8. Connected With this bell is a Wire 641, and to this Wire is joined a Wire 65 leadto the. contact button 2O of this station. Y ivire 66 is connected With the Wires 6-/1 and 65. and leads therefrom to the contact button 18. A. Wire 67 is connected with the adjacent contact button 17, and a Wire 68 is connected With the Wire 67 and also with the contact button at this station. The Wires 67 and 68 are connected to a Wire 69, and connected With the Wire 69 is a Wire 70. lFrom the latter, a short Wire 71 extends to the Contact member 16. A Wire I72 is connected to the Wires and 71, and leads therefrom to the Contact member 18. A Wire 78 leads trom the contactI member 12 this station to the indicator magnet 5 at the same station. A wire 74 leads from the indicator magnet 6 at this station to the contact member 15 at the same station. A Wire 41a is connected with the Wires 41 and 412. and with a wire 41 which is connected with the Wires and A Wire 41@ is cOnnected With the Wires L1-1a4 and 411", and With the wires 69 and 70` All of the movable parts appear in their respective normal positions, the apparatus as a Whole being shown as idle.

The operation of my device as shown in Figure 1 is as follows:

Suppose the operator at station No. 1 :ishes to call the operator at station No. 2. For this purpose, he actuates by hand the circuit closer 11 at station No. 1. This closes a circ-uit.l which may be traced as follows: feed Wire 22, Wires 23, 211 and 25, Contact button 18, circuit closer 11 Wire 39 to station No. 2, circuit closer 11 ot this station, Wire magnet 5 ot station No. 2, wires 49, 50, .37 and 58, "leed Wire 21 to source ot supply (not shown), and thence back to feed wire 22. `This; circuit ener- `gizes thc magnet atv station No, 2 and causes it to attract its armature 7, thus releasing the contact bar 9 which drops upon the contact buttons 17 and 13. Since this contact bar carries the legend 1, such legend is practically displayed by the dropping ot the contact bar. lhus a visual signal is displayed tor the purpose of calling` the attention ot the operator at this station to the tact that the operator at station No. 1 is calling.

The dropping or" the contact bar at station No. 2 closes a c'rcuit which may be traced as follows: 'feed Wire 22, Wires il, 4-2 and 4.a, contact button 17, contact bar 9, contact button 18, Wires 4:5 and a7, bell f;- at station No. 2, Wires 4:8, 50, and 58, vfeed Wire 21 to source ot electrical supply (not shown), and thence back to feed wire 22. This circuit rings the bell il at station No. 2, and in this manner the operator at station No. 2 is apprised, by an audible signal that a call is being made and the visual signal above described indicates by the display ot the legend that station No. 1 is the station calling.

It Will be noted that the magnet. 5 together with its armature 7 and contact bar 9, the latter carrying the legend 1, collectively constitute a relay having the t'unction ot an indicator. lt will also be noted'that the dropping oit the contact bar 9 ot the relay just described controls what is essentially a local circuit, including` the bell t at station No. 2.

The operator at station No. 2, atter noting the signal, restores the contact bar 9 at this station to its normal position, and this he can do in any conventional manner.

It' he Wishes to repeatthe signal, or in other words, Wishes to apprise the operator at station No. 1 that the signal transmitted to station No. 2 has been noted, the operator at the station last mentioned can transmit to station No. 1 a signal vtor that purose.

lt will be observed that while the circuit closer 11 at station No. 1 is depressed the circuit closer 11 at station No. 2 up. It, however, it should happen that both ot these circuit closers are depressed at eX- actly the same instant, no indication is made because no circuit is closed, and it one ot the circuit closers be released beiore thc other, the one first released will not cause any indication to be made. However, no trouble` is likely to arise troni the conditions just mentioned. In the first place an operator, in actuating a circuit closer, usually presses upon it. a number ci times in. rapid succession. ln the second place he will repeat the call two or three times if he tails to get a Signal.

Suppose, next, that the operator at station No. 1 Wishes to call the operator at station No. 3. For this purpose, the operator at station No, 1 actuateg the circuit closer 14e at his station, thereby completing` a circuit as follows: feed Wire 22, wires 23, 24e, contact button 16, circuit closer 14, wire 40 to station No. 3, circuit closer la at that station, Wire 74, magnet 6 at station No. 3, Wires 60, 59 and 58, feed Wire 21 to source oi supply (not shown), and thence back to feed Wire 22. This circuit energizes the magnet 6 at station No. 3 so that the armature 8 of this magnet is caused `to disengage the adjacent contact bar 10, bearing thel legend, 1, and causes this contact bar in dropping to display the legend just mentioned and to engage the contact buttons 19 and 20.

A circuitis thus completed, and may be traced as follows: feed Wire 22, Wires 1.1, i-1a, L11, r69 and 68, contact button 19, contact bar 10, contact button 20, W'ires'65 and 6%, bell tat stat-ion No. 3, Wires 63 and 61, wires 59 and 58, feed Wire 21 to source ot supply (not shown), and thence back to feed Wire 22. This circuit rings the bell 4t at station No. 3, and thus produces an audible signal for the attention ot the operator at station No. 3. Having noted the signal, he proceeds as above described with reference to the operator at station No. 2.

All circuits, except those above described as completed in the manner and for the purposes stated, remain open. lt follows, therefore, that While the operator at either station can produce a visual signal at either oit the other stations as desired, and can supplement the visual signal by an audible signal, there is no possibility et any undesirable signal, either audible or visual. being n'iade at any other station than the one i'or which the circuit is closed. Each circuit employed is clean-cut and sharply deiined, and none of the circuits are controllable by gradually changing or uncertain resistances or inductances. No vagrant or sneak currents can creep into the system, and the wiring is quite simple for the results accomplished. Neither the circuits controlling tue visual signals nor those controlling the audible signals have any haphazard connections of' such character would be likely to forni a ground-work Jfor undesirable rag-rant currents.

it will be noted that the relays, in closing the heli circuits, quite materially shorten the pai is through which the currents used in signalling can tolloiv. This tact is ot' iinporta in that by shortening some of the circuits, or at least by short `ning the circuits usen. tor some purposes, I not only simplify the wiring but reduce still further, if possible, the chances tor vagrant or sneak currents to make their appearance.

7ith the parts constructed and arranged as shown in Figure 1, whenever any one ot the bell circuits is energized the bell continues to ring until the relay controlling the bell circuit is reset.

In instances where the continuous ringing of the bell is objectionable, I may arrange each bell circuit and construct the various parts associated therewith as shown in Figure 2 or in Figure 3, as the case may be.

I will now describe the mechanism shown in Figure 2.

A drop shutter appears at and is normally supported by a hook 7 6. This hook is made of soft iron, and constitutes an armature for a magnet 77. This magnet is provided with two windings 78, 79. Connected with the winding 78 are two wires 80, 81. Two wires 82, 83, lead from the winding 79 to the winding 84, with which a relay is provided.

The relay 85 is also provided with an armature 86 and with a contact 87, which is normally open. A wire 88 leads from the contact 87 to the bell, which appears at 4. Connected with this bell is a wire 89, which is also connected with the wire 8O and with a wire 90. A wire 91 is connected with the armature 86 and with a contact member 13 of the circuit closer 11 shown in this figure. A wire 92 is connected with the contact inember 13 and with the wire 91. A wire 93 is connected with the circuit closer 11.

henever the magnet 77 is energized as hereinafter described the hook 76, serving as an armature, is attracted and the shutter 75 drops and thus displays a visual signal, which remains continuously displayed until the shutter is reset, or restored to its normal position.

Each time the magnet 77 is thus energized b y its winding 78, the winding 79 is energized indnctively, and Whenever this occurs a current is generated in the winding 79 and flows through the winding 84, in a circuit which may be traced as follows:

finding 79, wire 82, winding 84, and wire 83, back to winding 79. This energizes the relay 85, so that the armature 86 is attracted, and thus closes a circuit through the bell 14, the bell being thus energized for an instant only, and consequently making only a single stroke.

The group of mechanism shown in Figure 2 may as a whole be substituted bodily for a corresponding group of mechanism shown in Figure 1. For instance at station No. 1 the magnet 5 and the bell circuit controlled thereby may be supplanted by the mechanism shown in Figure 2, by merely disconnecting them from the wires 29, 39 and 25, and connecting these wires, re-

spectively with the wires 90, 93 and 92 of Figure 2.

In the form shown in Figure 3 a wire 93 is connected with two wires 94 and 95, the wire 9a leading to a relay 96 and the wire 95 leading to the bell l. A wire 97 leads from this bell to a Contact 98, controllable by the relay armature 99. Connected with this armature is a wire 100. A wire 101 is connected to the relay 96. The relay is provided with a drop shutter 102. which is controllable by a hook armature 103.

lith the itorm shown in Figure 3, a visual signal maj.y be made by the dropping ot the shutter, and an audible signal may be made by the ringing ot the bell. Since, however. the bell only rings while the relay 96 remains energized, the duration ot the ringing is always short.

The mechanism shown in Figure 3 is easily substituted tor corresponding parts shown in Figure 1. For instance in order to substitute this mechanism instead ot' the magnet 5 and parts controllable thereby at station No. 1, the wires 93 and 190 are merely substituted for the wires 30 and 36 at that station. i

Except as otherwise indicated. the structure and action of the various parts shown in Figures 2 and 3 is the same as that of corresponding parts shown in Figure 1.

lith the mechanism shown in Figure 2, the drop shutter 75 may, iiA desired, be used exclusively of the wiring shown at the lett ot the figure. In other words the operator can use either a visual signal or both a visual signal and an audible signal, or both, as he may desire.

This is also true of the mechanism shown in Figure 3. That is to say the operator can rely upon the drop shutter or upon both Jthe drop shutter and the single ring bell, as desired.

I do not limit myself to the precise mechanism shown as variations may be made therefrom without departing trom mv invention, which is commensurate with my claims.

I claim:

1. In a signaling system having a plurality of intercommnnicating stations at least two in number. the combination ot a plurality of circuit closers and relays, each station having one of said circuit closers for each of the other stations and also having one of said relays for each of the other stations, and circ-uit connections between said stations including a` single local circuit controlled by each of said relays at the pare ticular station where this relay is located. a single pair of signaling wires leading trom each station to each of the other stations, and connections leading to said circuit closers said relays and said local circuits, from a single source of electricity.

narrates 2. A signaling system comprising a number of circuit closers located at separate stations, a plurality of relays located at each ot said stations, an electrically operated signaling member located at each ot said stations, a single source ot electricity, Wiring from said source of electricity to said circuit closers and thence to said relays for enabling each circuit closer to control a ticular relay with which it is associated, and connections trom said Wiring and trom all of said relays to said electrically operated signaling member and to said single source ot electricity for enabling any one of said relays, when energized, to control the circuit ot the electrically operated signaling member at the same station.

3. l signaling system comprising a plurality ot relays located at a station, a single source oi electricity common to all oi said relays, Wiring from said source oi' electricity to said relays for the purpose ot enabling said relays to be energized independently ot each other from said source or' electricity, an electrically operated signaling member common to all of said relays, and connections trom said Wiring to said electrically operated signaling member and to said single source of electricity Jor enabling any one of said relays, when energized, to control the circuit ot said electrically operated signaling member.

e. A signaling system comprising a number of circuit closers located at separate stations, a plurality of relays located at said separate stations, a source ot electricity coinmon to all of said circuit closers and said relays, Wiring from each circuit closer to a relay located at some one of the other sta tions than the one at which said last inentioned circuit closer is located, said Wiring being also connected to said source of electricity for enabling said source ot electricity, under control of any one of said circuit closers, to energize the particular relay With which said last mentioned circuit closer is connected, an electrically operated signaling member located at each station and having a circuit controllable by each ci the relays at that same station, and connections from said electrically operated signaling member to said last mentioned relays and to said circuits controllable thereby, lor enabling said source oit electricity, under control of any one ci said last mentioned relays, to energize said electrically operated signaling member at the station Where the relay is located.

5. A signaling system comprising a number ci circuit closers located at diierent stations and a number of relays also located at said different stations, each station having a relay and a circuit closer for each ot the other stations, a source oi electricity, Wiring connected TVith said source ot .electricity and with said circuit closers and relays, :for enabling each circuit closer to control a relay at some other station than the one at which said last mentioned circuit closer is located, an electrically operated signaling member l cated at each station, and connections from the electrically operated signaling member each station to all of the relays located at the saine station and also to said wiring, for the purpose of enabling said source of electricity, under control of a circuit closer and a relay, to control the circuit of said electrically operated signaling member.

GEORGE A. PIERCE. 

